Publication

This paper examines whether government subsidies to local input manufacturers encourage procurement from foreign firms. The authors use a comprehensive panel data of Irish firms from 1983 until 2002. Our data shows a spontaneity about linkages and relative insensitivity to grant aid, although it may be the quality rather than quantity of linkages that matters. The longevity of a foreign firm’s stay is one consistent driver of linkages where foreign firms need time to find out about local suppliers, the authors conclude.